Game ball



May 19, l925. 1,537,988

, l c. E. DILLINGER l GAME BALL FiledJun'e 15, 1923 2 sheets-.sheet 2 Patented May 19, 1925. I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. DILLINGER, .0F SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA..

' GAME BALI..

Application led June 15, 1923. Serial No. 645,653.

To aZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. DIL- LINGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Maria, in the county of Santa Barbara and State ofCalifornia, have Vinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Balls, of which the following .is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in inflatable game balls, such for example as basket balls, foot balls, volley balls, and the like. In the ordinary game ball the leather casing is provided with a slit or mouth through which the bladder is introduced and removed and which is closed by one or more lacing strings. However, in view of the rough usage to which such balls are subjected, thelacing strings soon become worn and break, and furthermore a laced' mouth presents a morey or less uneven surface which is undesirable, 'it being necessary, in such articles, to have the exterior of the casingas smooth and as freey from projections .or recesses, as is possible. It is therefore one of the important objects of the invention to provide, in a game ball, a novel means for closing the mouth of the casing which means will elliectually maintainv the mouth, closed and the presence of which willl at the same time be practically unnoticeable. In other words, the invention contemplates the provision, in the casing' of an inflatable game ball, of a mouth and closing means therefor so constructed that the surface contour of the ball will not be altered to any appreciable extent by' the presence of said mouth and its closing means. l

Another important object of the invention is ,to so construct the closing means for the mouth of the ball casing that the mouth may be opened or closed practically instantly and without any difiiculty whatsoever being experienced, this construction obviously presenting marked-advantages over a mouth which requires to be laced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement of the inflating valve for the bladder, the construction being such that the presence of the valve willnotbe noticeable because of any projecting parts, and will at the same time be readily accessible when it is desired to inflate or deflate the ball.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa basket ball construete d` in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view.

taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by .the arrows;

Figure 3' is a diametric sectional view taken in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of Figure 2; A

Figure 4 is -a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the two sides of the mouth of the casing relatively separated, and illustrating also the key which locks the sides of themouth in closed relation.'

In the drawings, the casing of the ball is indicated in general by the numeral 1 and 'the inflatable bladder by the numeral 2. The

casing 1 of the ball is made of leather or hide as usual, and the bladder 2-is preferably of rubber, these two main parts ofthe ball bein when inflated, s herical, ellipsoidal, vor o any other required) contour.- The casing` 1, likewise, may be made up of any desired number of sections, and the sections may be shaped and united in any of the -usual ways. However, in order that the inflatable bladder may be inserted into the casing and removed therefrom, as occasion Y may require, the casing is, as 1s customary,

provided with a mouth indicated by the numeral 3. This mouth may be formed by omitting the stitching for a suitable distance in thelength of one of the seams 'uniting the segments of the casing, or it may be provided by forming an incision or slit directly, in" one 'of the segments. The former procedure is, however, preferable, and the se y ments, which are in this instance specifical y indicated by the numeral 4, haveextended marginal portions at-their meeting edges,

which marginal portions arecut away or recessed at e ually spaced intervals as at 5 thereby providingv between the notches or recesses' tongue portions 6. These ton e` portions are wrapped aboutV short tubu ar sleeves 7 `and are stitched to the bodies of soy the respective segments at the inner side thereof. The tubular sleeves 7 are ,of a' length' corresponding to the Width` of the respective tongue portions 6 by which-they are enclosed so that the ends of the sleeves are flush with the lateral margins of said tongue portions. In this manner, .a series of spaced eyes are provided along each side of the mouth of the casing, and the eyes at the two sides are preferably relatively staggered sothat they will interlit or interdigitate when the mouth of the casing is closed, it being understood that the eyes are of a width equal to the width of the recesses 5 in which they are received, s`o that the eyes will abut end to end throughout the two series and form a continuous tube which is designed to receive the locking key as will presently be explained. The eyes are preferably so formed and arranged that their outwardly presented sides will be substantially Hush with the outer surface `of the casing of the ball and therefore the spherical or ellipsoidal contour of theball is maintained and there-are no projecting parts which would be liable to interfere with skille a head or finger piece 10 which may be formed in any suitablel manner as for example by bending this end of the wire upon itself. vEyelets 11 are provided one at oneY end ofthe series of eye members 6 at one side of the month 3, and another at the opposite end of the other series of eyes iat the other side of the said mouth. Each of these eyelets is preferably formed from a length of wire bent to provide an eye 12 and shank portions 13 which portions are disposed to straddle the edges of the casing segments which define the mouth of the casing, the extremities of the shank portions being caused to pierce thesegments and being overturned or riveted. The eyelets 11 are spaced from the next adjacent eyes 6 of the respective 'series a distance eq'ual to the space between thel said eyes-6 so that when the eyes 6 are interitted or interdigitated as previously described, the eyelets l1 will be located at opposite ends of the two matching series of eyes 6. With the parts thus assembled the key 8 is inserted through the eyes and eyelets thus connecting them together in alinement and efectually closing the mouth of the casing. The wire shank 9v of the locking key is. preferably curved on an arc corresponding to the curvature of the surface of the ball when inated, as clearly illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawing.

From the toregoin it will be evident that so far' as the eature of the casing mouth is concerned, the invention provides means whereby the mouth may be uickl and conveniently closed and securely (locke the means bein equally as readily manipulated to permit of opening of the mouth for the removal or introduction of the in- A atable bladder. The closing means for the it is devoid of any Vparts or portions proiecting beyond the normal surface of the all, and in fact the presence of the mouth and its closing means will not be partie` ularly noticeable when the mouth is closed.

Another feature of the invention resides in the novel manner in which the inliating valve for the bladder 2 is mounted. The valve is indicated in general by the numeral 14 and the same com rises a tubular casing 15 in `which is house a spring seated check valve 16 which may be of the well known type employed inA pneumatic tire valves. The numeral 17 indicates a collar which is interiorly threaded as indicated by the numeral 18 and to which is secured a circular lattaching base 19 of rubber which in turn is secured to the inner side of the outer casbeing presented concentric to an opening 20 formed in the wall of the 'said casing 1.'

The valve casing 15 is exteriorly threaded as' indicated by the numeral 21 and is removably threaded into the said collar 17 as clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The casing 15 of the valve extends through an opening formed in the bladder 2, and an attaching and sealing disc 22 of rubber is applied to or formed upon the bladder 2 at the point of passage of the valve casing therethrough and is united to the said casing. It will be evident at this oint that the valve casing may be threade into the collar 17 so as to anchor the bladder 2 to the casing 1, the parts being, however, separable upon deation of the bladder and ro\ tation yof the same together with the valve casing 15 to unthread the casing from the said collar. A small screw cap 23 is removably threaded into the outer end of the .valve casing and is preferably provided with a transverse groove 24 to receive the bitl of a screw ldriver whereby it may be readily removed for the purpose of attachment of a pump tube to the valve casing to inflate the bladder2 and may be replaced to close the valve caslng after the bladder has been iniated. r A protective ap 25 is securedx-to the inner side of the casing ofA the ball at" one side of the mouth therein and is adapted to extend across the said mouth and to lie between the bladder and the closure for the mouth. This Hap, of course, serves to pre-- vent mutilation of the bladder by the closure means. y

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:y y 1. VIn an inflatable game ball, a casing having a mouth provided at lits opposite sides with a series of recesses defining cylindrical tongue portions which are united vto the inner side v.of the wall of the casing to provide loops, bearing sleeves housed withm the loops and covered thereby, the loops is closed, and a cylindrical locking rod removably fitted through the several bearing sleeves and maintaining the mouth closed.

2. In an iniatable game ball, a casing having a mouth provided at its opposite sides with a serles of recesses defining tongue portions which are united to the inner side of the Wall of the casing to provide loops, bearing sleeves housed within the loops and covered thereby, the loops and bearing sleeves at the opposite sides of the mouth being arranged in staggered relation whereby the bores of the sleeves Will assume an alined relation when the mouth is closed, an eyelet at each side of the mouth and arranged near the adjacent loops, and a locking member itting`through the bearing sleeves and the adjacent eyelets.

3. In an inflatable game ball, a casing having a mouth provided at its opposite sides with eyes positioned to assume an alined relation when the mouth is closed, eyelets disposed at the opposite ends of the mouth and each formed of a single length of Wire having one end thereof secured to the casing and its other end extended over the edge of the casing at the mouth to produce an eyelet, and a locking member extending through said eyes and engaging the eyelets.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

CHARLES E. DILLINGER. [a s] 

